Sox have plenty of arms just in case

DUNEDIN, Fla. — The biggest mistake general manager Ben Cherington made last offseason, by his own admission, was not acquiring enough depth for the starting rotation.He appears to have learned from that.Four...

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TIM BRITTON
Posted Feb. 25, 2013 @ 5:27 pm

DUNEDIN, Fla. — The biggest mistake general manager Ben Cherington made last offseason, by his own admission, was not acquiring enough depth for the starting rotation.

He appears to have learned from that.

Four games into Boston’s Grapefruit League slate in 2013, the biggest development out of Red Sox camp is the surplus of starting options the team has accumulated in the high minors. That luxury was on full display on Monday in Dunedin, when Steven Wright and Allen Webster combined to strike out seven in four impressive innings against the Blue Jays.

Manager John Farrell said seeing the two right-handers in person — and not visiting his old stomping grounds — was the real reason he opted for the 2½-hour trek north rather than the easy 40-minute drive to Port Charlotte, where most of the Red Sox regulars faced the Rays. Farrell’s decision was worth the drive.

“Today was very encouraging,” the manager said. “On a good year health-wise, hopefully they’re going to continue on a development path. But in the event that needs arise, this type of environment, this type of experience will serve them well as they start the year at the minor-league level.”

Wright has been one of the most discussed names in camp — including from Red Sox brass — as he continues to develop a knuckleball he started to throw only two years ago. Boston has brought in Tim Wakefield to assist Wright, who owns a harder (mid-70s mph) knuckleball akin to the one R.A. Dickey rode to the National League Cy Young Award last year.

Opposing Dickey on Monday, Wright was solid. He kept the Jays off the board while allowing two hits in two innings. He struck out three but did struggle a little with his command, throwing 24 of his 39 pitches for strikes.

“I felt good. A little antsy at first, but I felt I was able to get that in order and compete,” Wright said. “The goal [is] to put myself out there and just compete and, if the time comes and I get an opportunity, I’m just going to try to take advantage of it.”

Said Ferrell, “On a rare day when you’ve got two knuckleballers going, I thought he threw a darn good one.”

Like Rubby De La Rosa on Sunday in Jupiter, Webster was the scene-stealer Monday against Toronto. After allowing an early RBI double to Melky Cabrera, Webster punched out four straight Jays: Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion, J.P. Arencibia and Brett Lawrie. That’s not exactly exploiting a spring training lineup. As Webster said, they were “probably” the four toughest hitters he’d ever faced.

Webster hit 99 on the radar gun in Dunedin while mixing in a changeup that had Toronto hitters rocking back and forth at the plate. His three-pitch strikeout of Arencibia — fastball at 95, changeup at 86, fastball at 96 — seemed unfair for Feb. 25.

“Equally impressive to the arm strength and the action to his fastball is he has a secondary pitch he can go to as a putaway with a changeup,” Farrell said. “And when he gets in trouble, he has the ability to slow people down with a power change that’s got finishing action to it. He was impressive — very impressive.”

Farrell and Cherington are aware of what a lack of starting depth can do to a team. In 2012, when Daniel Bard didn’t pan out as a starter, the Red Sox turned to Aaron Cook, who posted a 5.65 ERA in 18 starts. Daisuke Matsuzaka returned from Tommy John surgery with an 8.28 ERA in 11 starts. Zach Stewart allowed 14 runs in fewer than six innings in two starts.

Carlos Silva didn’t even get into a spring training game. Vicente Padilla turned into a serviceable reliever. Ross Ohlendorf opted out to sign with the Padres.

Franklin Morales was the only legitimate option the Sox possessed outside of their original five, and using him in the rotation took away from Boston’s bullpen.

Somehow, that barely compared to what Farrell endured with the Blue Jays in 2012. Toronto’s season fell apart the same time its starting staff did when Brandon Morrow, Kyle Drabek and Drew Hutchison suffered injuries the same week. The Jays ended up handing starts to seven other pitchers over the course of the season, with Carlos Villanueva the only one approximating success.

The Red Sox hope they don’t need pitchers such as Wright and Webster and De La Rosa at the major-league level this season. But no team gets 162 starts from its original starting rotation, and with Morales and Alfredo Aceves also stretching out this spring, Boston has options — legitimate ones — when Plan A is inevitably interrupted.

“I feel better about the depth and the options we have, but there’s no doubt it’s an area we need to improve over last year,” Cherington said at the opening of camp. “We cannot be where we want to be unless we get a better performance out of that group.”